Windmill-regulator.



No. 721,328- PATENTED-FEB. 24, 1903 W. H.. RIGGS.

' WI'NDMILL REGULATOR.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,1902. no 10mm.

- YHE NORIIS PETERS 0a.. FNOTO-LITNUVFWASHINGTONJ p. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM H. RIGGS, OF LAPEL INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES A.BIRD, OF LAPEL, INDIANA.

WINDMILL-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,328, dated February24, 1903.

Application filed. June 2, 1902. Serial No. 109,949. (No model.)

To-ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. RIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lapel, in the county of'Madison and Statev of Indi-, ana,have invented a new and useful Windmill-Regulator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in windmill-regulators.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwindmill-regulators and to provide a simple and comparativelyinexpensive device adapted to be readily connected to a pump at a pointbelow the well-platform and capable when the water within a tank orotherreceptacle has risen to apredetermined height of automaticallystoppingthe windmill and the pump.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which when the water falls below a certain height in the tankwill automatically start the windmill and the pump and which will beadapted to afford a direct connection between it and the wire, which isconnected with the gearing of the windmill 'to enable the latter to bethrown out of operation Without employing a series of pulleys orintermediate levers.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto'appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of awindmill regulator constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2is an enlarged sectional view.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a pump designed to be arranged in a well in the usualmanner and provided with a lower pump-cylinder 2 and having adischarge-pipe 3 and a vertical pipe or tube 4, arranged parallel withthe dischargepipe and communicating at its lower end with the same toform an air-chamber, and the pump-rod is arranged between the pipes 3and 4. The pump-rod 5 is provided at its lower end witha suitablepiston-head, and it is connected at its upper end with a windpreventleakage.

mill in the usual manner. The piston may be constructed in any desiredmanner, and the pump-cylinder is preferably valved, the piston beingdesigned to lift the water on the upstroke; but the invention is alspapplicable to double-acting pumps, as will be readily apparent.

A supply-pipe 6 extends from the dischargepipe 3 to the interior of atank 6, and it is provided .within the latter with a suitable valve 7,which is controlled by a float 8. The float 8 and the valve 7 may be ofany desired construction, and when the water rises within the tank to apredetermined height the float will close the valve 7, and when thewater is consumed and the float falls the valve will be opened. -Thesupply-pipe is connected with the discharge-pipe by a suitable coupling9, having a three-way valve provided with an exterior arm 10, which isconnected with a rod 11, extending above the platform of the well andadapted to be operated by hand for controlling the passage of the waterto enable the same to be either discharged into the tank or from thepischarge-pipe or to be cut off, as desired.

The present invention comprises a vertical cylinder 12, receiving apiston 13 and adapted to be connected with either of thepipes 3 and 4,as may be most convenient, and in the accompanying drawings'it is shownconnected with the pipe 4 by means of couplings 14 and 15. TheT-coupling 14 and 15, which connects the sections of the pipe 4, thepipe 4 being cut for this purpose, is connected by a short pipe 16 withthe T-coupling 15. The T-coupling 15 is connected at its bottom by ashort pipe 17 with acap 18 of the cylinder 12, and it has a stuffing-box19 at its upper end to receive the stern of the piston 13 to The cap 18is interiorly threaded and is screwed to the exterior of the upper endof the cylinder 12, which is provided at its lower end with a cap 20.The cap 20 is interiorly threaded to engage the lower threaded end ofthe cylinder, and it forms a seat for a conical coiled spring 21, and itis also provided with an opening 22, adapted to permit any water toescape from the cylinder in event of leakage, and it will thereby.prevent the regulator from freezing and becoming inoperative in coldweather. The lower end or base of the coiled spring 21 is seated uponthe cap 20, which is preferably tapered to facilitate drainage, and itsupper end or apex receives the lower terminal 23 of the stem of thepiston 13, which stem is extended below the piston-head 24 for engagingthe spring to prevent the latter from becoming displaced.

The piston-head may be of any desired construction, and the piston rodor stem, which is provided at its upper end with a ring 25, is connectedwith the Wire 26, which extends to the mechanism for throwing thewindmill out of operation. When the windmill is in operation and thewater rises in the tank to the predetermined height, the float willclose the valve 7 and prevent any more water entering the tank. The backpressure will cause the water to flow into the vertical cylinder l2 andact upon the piston-head 24, which will be depressed or forced downwardagainst the action of the coiled spring until the windmill is thrown outof operation and the pump stops. As soon as the water falls below thepredetermined height, the valve 7 will be opened and the water withinthe supply-pipe and the cylinder will be relieved of pressure andpermitted to flow into thetank. The spring will then raise the pistonand permit the windmill to come into gear, and the pumping action willthen commence and continue until the valve 7 of the tank is againclosed.

It will be seen that the windmill-regulator is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it is located beneath the platform ofthe well, and that it is connected directly with the wire of a windmillwithout the aid of intermediate levers or pulleys. It will also be seenthat the spring is prevented from being displaced by being engaged withthe lower end of the piston stem or rod and that the lower cap of thecylinder is open to permit water to drain from the regulator to preventthe same from freezing and becoming inoperative in cold weather.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In a windmill-regulator, the combination of acylinder designed to be connected with a pump and provided with an openbottom and having a seat thereat, a piston having a head arranged withinthe cylinder, the stem of the piston being extended below the head andbeing adapted to be connected at its upper end with a windmill, and aconical spring located within the cylinder and arranged on the seat, theapex of the spring receiving the extended end of the piston whereby itis held in position, substantially as and for the purpose described. I

2. In a wind mill-regulator, the combination of a cylinder designed tobe connected with a pump and provided at its bottom with a tapering capforming a seat and having an opening in its bottom, a piston having ahead arranged within the cylinder, the upper end of the stem of thepiston being designed to be connected directly .with the operatingmechanism of a windmill, and the lower end of the stem being projectedbeyond the piston-head, and a spring arranged within the cylinder andseated on the cap and having its upper end engaged by the extended endof the piston, substantially as described.

3. In a windmill-regulator, the combination with a pump, of a couplingprovided at the top with a stuffing-box and connected with the pump, avertical cylinder having upper and lower caps, the upper cap beingconnected with the coupling and the lower cap being provided with anopening, a vertical piston having its head arranged within the cylinder,the stem of the piston being projected downward beyond the head andbeing extended upward through the stalling-box and arranged to beconnected with the operatingwire of a windmill, a supply-pipe extendingfrom the pump and designed to be connected with the tank and having avalve, a valve located at the point of connection between thesupply-pipe and the pump and provided with an exterior arm, and a rodextending upward from the arm and adapted to be operated by hand,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. RIGGS.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK S. MCLAUGHLIN, GEORGE E. BIRD.

